Carers ‘bundled suspect into car and tried to drive away’ from zoo after boy, three, was thrown into crocodile pit

The stranger who hurled a three-year-old boy into a crocodile pit was bundled into a car by his carers, who then tried to drive off, it was claimed today.

Staff at Johnsons of Old Hurst, near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, reportedly had to stand in their way to stop them leaving the zoo with the man, who is disabled.

The 30-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder but bailed within hours until September 18 after police said he ‘was assessed as not being fit for interview’.

A source with knowledge of the case claimed his two carers left the enclosure with the suspect shortly after the zoo’s owners jumped in to save the boy.

‘They [the carers] tried to get him into the car. Another member of staff was there and prevented them from leaving,’ an insider said.

It came as it emerged that up to 40 NHS hospital staff have accessed the boy’s private medical records, sparking a major investigation and the threat of disciplinary action.

The man accused of attacking him spent only a matter of hours in custody. 

Witnesses told the Daily Mail the suspect’s carers were ‘on their phones’ and ‘ten metres behind him’ when he picked up the boy, lifted him over a security fence and hurled him into the enclosure, which was swarming with alligators and crocodiles.

The child suffered a shattered arm and pelvis last Thursday after landing on concrete and being bitten by at least one saltwater crocodile — the animal with the world’s strongest bite.

Another witness, a woman in her twenties, said: ‘I saw one bloke of a bigger build. He had two carers with him and they weren’t paying him much attention.

‘If it was him, his carers were maybe ten metres behind him and not paying much attention.

‘They were English, chatting among themselves and on their phones.’

His bereft mother, who also had a baby with her, watched in horror as a man picked up her son and hurled him 15ft down into an area of the zoo with at least 15 crocodiles and alligators last Thursday. 

He is now in a stable condition at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

But up to 40 hospital staff have accessed the medical records.

Bosses have vowed to take ‘robust disciplinary action’ against any voyeur found to have accessed the records without a genuine clinical reason.

The case comes after hospital staff were found to have viewed the medical records of the Princess of Wales following her cancer diagnosis.

NHS workers also accessed the records of victims of the terror attacks in Southport and Nottingham. At least 12 people were sacked and more than 50 were disciplined.

Now dozens of NHS staff have been found to have viewed the records of the boy who was attacked by a stranger and then by crocodiles eight days ago.

A spokesman for Cambridge University Hospitals said: ‘Where any member of staff is found to have accessed patient records without legitimate clinical or operational reasons, we take robust disciplinary action.’

The boy’s family has been informed of the investigation. Restrictions have now been put on his medical records to make them harder to access.

A hospital spokesman said: ‘We have strict policies in place to safeguard patient data and we take any breach extremely seriously.

‘We know the vast majority of our 13,000 staff understand the fundamental importance of maintaining patient confidentiality and uphold the highest professional standards.

‘Where any member of staff is found to have accessed patient records without legitimate clinical or operational reasons we take robust disciplinary action, including dismissal.

‘As part of our response to any breach, we notify both the ICO and apologise to patients and their families affected.’

Multiple sources report that a boy was attacked by at least one crocodile inside the enclosure. The habitat houses over a dozen alligators and crocodiles, including two Nile crocodiles named Romeo and Cuddles. These predators can measure up to 11 feet long, and Romeo, the male, weighs nearly 485lb. 

The zoo’s co-owner Tracey Johnson jumped into the enclosure to save the little boy from the jaws of the crocodiles.

She was followed in by her husband Andy and their son Edward.

Their friend Chris Newman, director of the National Centre for Reptile Welfare, who has housed crocodiles at Old Hurst, said: ‘We mustn’t underestimate how much of a difference Tracey made.

‘She was first in there. She jumped in and dealt with an awful situation. She was then joined by her husband and son. It was a team effort.’

The boy is slowly recovering – but thankfully is no longer critically ill.

The youngster is thought to have been tossed over the 4ft safety fence separating an aerial walkway from the enclosure below, where he landed on concrete before rolling into water.

Witnesses have spoken out about earlier seeing the man’s carers ‘on their phones’ and not paying close attention during his outing to the zoo with other vulnerable adults.

A mother who was at the zoo at the time of the incident described hearing a ‘loud scream’ while sitting on a bench outside the enclosure.

She said: ‘Someone later described the man that did it and said he was with carers.

‘I don’t know if it was definitely him, but I saw one bloke of a bigger build, he had two carers with him and they weren’t paying him much attention.

‘If it was him, his carers were maybe ten metres behind him. They were English and chatting among themselves and on their phones.’

It was revealed that Mrs Johnson has just become a grandmother, with friends describing her as ‘selfless’ and ‘always trying to help everyone’. 

Neither Mrs Johnson nor her husband, Andrew, are under any illusions about the dangers posed by the crocodiles, as experts warned yesterday that if the boy had fallen on or near one of the creatures they would have bitten him on instinct.

Mr Newman said: ‘I wouldn’t expect them to eat a child, but they would bite if it landed on or near them. That’s where the danger lies – they have such a powerful bite. Even an investigatory bite would be catastrophic.’ 

Speaking on an episode of Farmer’s Weekly in 2011, Mr Johnson said: ‘When we’re handling the crocs, the main thing we use is a pig board, and the idea is if you’re sitting like this, he’ll grab your leg and drag you in. 

‘And just having the board in front takes away the striking point, the grip point, and they don’t bother.

‘The best way to build trust with them is not to stand up and look like you’re the dominant person, but to get down to their level and work with them.

‘They seem to accept you as one of the group. They definitely identify us as a family different to anybody else that comes in.’

Witnesses said Mrs Johnson sprinted into the enclosure and pulled the injured child away from crocodiles to safety.

She and her shell-shocked husband were seen for the first time since the incident in exclusive pictures taken by the Daily Mail today as police sealed off the enclosure and spoke to staff. Friends said Mr and Mrs Johnson are ‘mortified’ by what happened.

Tearful witnesses described a blood-curdling scream from the reptile area at around 1.20pm.

The boy had been on an elevated walkway watching at least 15 crocodiles and alligators when he was reportedly lifted over a 4ft safety fence and hurled about 15ft down into the enclosure.

A mother who was at the zoo at the time said: ‘We saw the air ambulance come over within about ten minutes. They held up a white sheet in between the farm shop and the cafe so no one could see what was happening. 

‘My daughter was oblivious. The little boy was only three and my daughter is two, it could have been her.’ 

The Johnsons have said their ‘thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family’. 

Originating as a dairy farm, Johnsons has a butchers, farm shop, tea room and steak house, as well as the zoo. According to a blog post on its website, the crocodiles were initially kept to help dispose of waste meat from the butchery, but they went on to be the start of a zoo, which is now home to more than 100 animals, including lions, tigers, sloth bears, capybaras and meerkats.